from marykateoneil.com

Marykate O'Neil: Not in Hudson Anymore
By David Chiu

In an ever-changing musical landscape of fickle and disposable trends where young pop stars latch on whatever is hot (and sadly hollow), there are some new artists that actually get it--that is a deep-rooted appreciation for the pop music aesthetic and its history. Marykate O'Neil is a disciple of the old-fashioned music modeled in tradition of '60s styles: Brill Building, Motown, folk, and kitschy, bubblegum pop. Upon listening to her debut disc, it is clear that the singer/songwriter from Brooklyn, New York has a knack for melodies and a way with words that are either meant to be humorous or thought-provoking or both.

O'Neil is originally from the town of Hudson, Massachusetts (one of her songs on her new album is called "Hudson"). As a latch-key child, she spent most of her time in front of the television, which developed her fascination with pop culture (and, probably, her cheeky sense of humor in her lyrics). O' Neil later attended and graduated from Boston University ("I was a philosophy major, so you can see I used that degree a lot," she joked).

Her first professional foray into music was as a member of the Boston-based band Piewackit, which recorded a CD and toured the country in the late '90s. After the band broke up, she headed for New York to write the songs that would make up Marykate O'Neil.

Each song on the album is not lacking of a hook here and there; songs like "Hudson," "Sunny Day," and "8th and 14th" showcases O'Neil's journalistic, observational lyric writing. But not all of the songs see life through rose-tinted glasses, as numbers such as "Prime Time, "U-Haul," and "Radio Shack" reveal an underside to the whimsy such as the sense of being out of place and romantic trials and tribulations.

In addition to being the baby of its creator, Marykate O'Neil's penchant for buoyant melodies and popcraft also has something to do with the album's producer, singer/songwriter Jill Sobule ("I Kissed a Girl"). Not only handling the production duties, Sobule also co-wrote and performed on several of the album's songs. The two artist's relationship goes back when O'Neil's erstwhile band opened up for Sobule at a musical festival In Los Angeles. Both musicians' affinity for storytelling pop and humor is quite evident here on the record.

O'Neil, who is also a painter, and whose paintings had been recently exhibited in Nashville, is currently on tour to support the record. It included a summer stint at New York's Knitting Factory where she indulged the crowed with songs from the album, a Neil Diamond impression, and stand-up humor. From her home in Brooklyn, she spoke about her music, her obsession with television shows, and her reason why she covered, of all things, a Spice Girls song,

1. The producer and co-writer on several of the songs on Marykate O'Neil was Jill Sobule. How did you hook up with her and what was the atmosphere like when you made the record with her?

I met Jill a couple of years ago. I opened for her at this festival in Los Angeles. She was a very funny person and very talkative to the other bands. We started hanging out and writing songs together after that. I think the first song we wrote was "Another Saturday."

It was all informal. We were making jokes and writing songs together out of those jokes. It was very casual, so it was fun.

2. What was the length of time between the break-up of Piewackit and the record finally seeing the light of day?

I would say three years. I had actually a whole bunch of songs for Piewackit and about to do another record, until the band went their own way. I tried a whole new batch of songs. And it was funded by my VISA card (laughs). It's like what you get in the mail [for a credit card]--"pre-approved." And it was like, "Let's book a session!"

3. Was the song "Hudson" a nostalgic ode to your hometown? What was it like growing up there?

I think it was more nostalgia. [New York] is an incredible city. It was almost exhausting just to get used to the pace. So I think I wrote it with that feeling with being tired of the city but loving it.

Hudson is like--you ever seen Valley of the Dolls? It's a small New England town. I graduated from Hudson High School with 100 kids in my class. It's very New England-y--apple orchards, leaves turning. It was kind of an anachronistic town, and it's still kind of like that.

4. The flip-side to the upbeat, melodic songs of the album is a ballad called "U-Haul." Was it about actually breaking-up with someone or a metaphor for something else?

It was the most personal song of the record. I broke up with my boyfriend of ten years and moved here. I think a lot of the songs have that sort of theme going on there. The departure of "U-Haul" [from the rest of the songs] was that it was one of the odd instances where the lyric actually say the mood of the music; whereas you can have a depressing lyric and have a happy tune underneath it as a distraction.

5. Why did you cover the Spice Girls' song "Stop"? You might be the first musician ever to cover a Spice Girls song.

That was something we were doing for goofy fun in the studio and we finished it. We all just liked it and kept it. I love bubblegum pop and I think they are the last bubblegum pop that I actually like. I thought they were funny.

6. In your press bio, it says that you were grew up as a television junkie.

I was such a latch key kid. I know way too much about television. I spent my entire youth in front of it. I watched shows that were long canceled before I was born, and they were my favorites.

7. What was some of the favorite music you were listening to at the time?

I listened to a combination of music growing up. I loved the Monkees. On the other hand, my favorite bands were like the Clash, U2, even the Go Gos. So I sort of like poppy punk.

8. When did you decide that music was your true calling?

I don't think I ever made that decision because I've just always done it. When I was a kid, I got an Academy guitar from Holland that my mother bought for me. I started playing it more and more.

9. Then what did you wanted to pursue if not music?

I wanted to become a cartoonist. [Charles Schultz, the creator of Peanuts,] was my idol for a while. I wanted to become a comic strip artist. For a while I also wanted to become a ski instructor. I must have gotten that from TV--I'm not even a good skier (laughs).

10. Why did you drew you to New York to further your music as opposed to staying in Boston's music scene?

I think I started knowing more people in New York than Boston, the group of friends I was hanging out with the at the time all went to different cities. Probably many people have sort of romantic images of New York--it's like seeing all those Woody Allen movies and wanting to move there.

11. Is it daunting to play in front of people as the newcomer?

I'm still new at that--the solo thing is even new to me. I guess I don't have any method--I kind of go up there and do what I can do. I was kind of making fun of it a little bit .For my first solo show in support of the record, it was in front of Paul Kelly's crowd. He's Australian, and there was a big crowd of people from Australia who were there to party. He had a huge band and I was up there with a guitar by myself. I just try to have fun.

12. What do you want to leave with people when they hear your record?

I guess the same thing when I like a record-I play it out over and over again. I hope they like it and sing along or something (laughs).

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